Clothes swaps are a community approach in the sustainability toolkit – combining environmental action with social connection and community value.
Earlier this year, as part of SustFest 2025, we helped organised our first ever St Albans Clothes Swap. What began as a casual idea grew into a well-attended event with over 110 participants and about 800 quality items of clothing swapped and donated. The response from attendees, volunteers, and local organisations was overwhelmingly positive.
At Sustainable X, we support businesses, councils, and organisations in building sustainability into their operations – but we also believe in leading by example, and creating space for low-cost, high-impact community events that bring sustainability to life.
This guide shares what we learned, why clothes swaps matter, and how others can deliver their own successful event – whether you’re a local council, SME, community group, or network looking for a fresh way to engage.
Why consider a clothes swap?
Clothes swaps offer a rare combination of measurable environmental benefits, low operational costs, and high social value. Here’s what they can deliver:
Environmental benefits
Textile waste is a growing global problem, and fashion production is resource-intensive. Clothes swaps reduce the demand for new garments and keep quality clothing in use for longer. They:
- Encourage reuse over disposal
- Delay or prevent clothing from ending up in landfill
- Offer a visible, practical example of circular economy principles
- Help shift behaviours around fast fashion and overconsumption
It’s also worth noting that these events can spark wider conversations – about where our clothes come from, what we really need, and how we can build more conscious consumption habits.
Social & community benefits
One of the most powerful outcomes of our event was the social impact. Clothes swaps:
- Offer low-pressure volunteering opportunities where people can engage on their terms
- Bring together people from different backgrounds and age groups
- Promote shared purpose, connection, and a welcoming space to meet new people
- Help reduce barriers to sustainable living by offering an inclusive and affordable alternative to shopping
Several attendees told us they hadn’t just found clothes – they’d made a new friend, discovered a local group, or felt reconnected to their community.
Organisational benefits
Whether you’re a business looking to engage staff or a council delivering your sustainability strategy, clothes swaps can support:
- Internal engagement through employee volunteering or wellbeing initiatives
- Public-facing sustainability action, with clear evidence of impact
- Stronger relationships with community partners and charities
- Positive brand reputation, particularly where ESG or CSR goals are a focus
Swaps are visible, tangible proof that sustainability doesn’t always require complex infrastructure – just thoughtful planning and community involvement.
How to run a Clothes Swap:
A step-by-step approach or What we did that worked
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Planning
- Venue: Choose a space that’s easy to access, has tables, and ideally has natural light. Community halls, libraries, and office spaces can all work.
- Item guidance: Be clear on what’s accepted. For our event, we welcomed adult clothing, bags, belts and near-new shoes. We excluded underwear, children’s clothes, and damaged items.
- Limits: Set a maximum number of items per person (e.g. 10). This keeps sorting manageable and prevents overwhelming the space.
- Equipment: You’ll need clothes rails, hangers, tables, and possibly mirrors. Many of these can be borrowed locally.
- Ticketing: Even for free events, tickets help manage capacity. We used Eventbrite, and included a tick-box for volunteer interest at sign-up.
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Volunteer involvement
We cannot stress enough how crucial volunteers are. From setting up and sorting clothes to managing check-in and helping attendees, they’re the reason the event runs smoothly.
We found:
- People were very willing to help when asked clearly and early.
- Volunteers enjoyed the experience and wanted to stay involved in future events.
- Having simple roles and a friendly welcome made people feel part of something.
The social value here is significant. Volunteering at a swap is informal but impactful, and it gives people a positive story to tell about local sustainability in action.
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Running the event
We structured the event into clear stages:
- Drop-off: Have a team recording what people bring and explaining how it works.
- Swap: Keep clothes tidy, tidy clothes regularly, and create an inviting browsing experience.
- Check-out: Participants could take the same number they brought. It worked well.
Provide signage and keep messaging simple. Volunteers should be briefed on how to direct people, keep things moving, and handle questions.
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Post-event wrap-up
- Leftovers: Arrange charity partners in advance and make it easy for volunteers to help with donation drop-offs.
- Thank your team: A short email, photo recap, or social media post goes a long way.
- Impact reporting: Share simple stats (e.g. number of attendees, items swapped, donations given) to build transparency and inspire future involvement.
- Feedback: Send a short follow-up survey to improve future events and keep people engaged.
What we learned
A few reflections from our experience:
- Momentum starts with a simple idea. Our clothes swap came together after a few quick conversations. If you’re thinking about it – start talking.
- Structure matters, but flexibility is key. Events like this thrive on adaptability. Clear roles and simple logistics go a long way.
- Volunteers amplify impact. Their presence makes the event more personal, more inclusive, and more effective.
If you’d like to explore running your own swap – or just have questions about how to get started – get in touch. We’d be happy to talk through your plans, share our experience, or collaborate on something bigger.
Final thoughts
Clothes swaps offer a rare balance of practical impact, community value, and feel-good engagement. They’re low-cost, low-risk, and high-reward – and they make the principles of sustainability visible, accessible, and meaningful.
For councils, business groups, or community organisations looking for a high-engagement, low-barrier way to activate sustainability, this is a great place to start.